Reasoning from the Scriptures

Monthly Archives: February 2015

Episode 310: Many Christians not only today but throughout history have believed that in certain circumstances it is morally permissible if not morally imperative to wage war. So what are the guiding principles which should inform Christians if they do engage in conflict? Tune in as I unpack the just war theory and the necessary elements of a just war. ALSO, what are some of the implications for just war and ISIS. PLUS, why American Christians make terrible martyrs…in my opinion.

Episode 309: Some Christians hold to a strict non-violent pacifist view. Other Christians believe that Christians can engage in war. Some are idealists; others are realists. Who is right? What does the Bible say? Are either of these positions Biblical? Tune in as I take a look at what the Bible says about the Christian’s view of war.

Today in Church History: John Bright makes his eloquent speech against the Crimean War (1855)

Episode 308: Having reviewed the history of the Crusades, is it right to compare the Crusaders to present day ISIS terrorists as some do, the President included? Tune and let’s see what the (real) causes & consequences of the Crusades were.

Episode 307: Once more I take up the history lesson concerning the Crusades. Was it really “in the name of Christ” that the Crusaders did “horrible deeds”? Or is history much more complicated than how our President makes it out to be? Tune in as I unpack the history & consequences of the Crusades.

Today in Church History: (On or around today) Defeat and captivity of the King Louis IX of France, “St. Louis,” in a crusade (1250).

Episode 306: Recently, our fearless leader President Barak Obama gave a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast and made some remarks concerning the Crusades that has rankled the hair on the back of some Christians necks. “Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.” But is that really the case? Is history really that simplistic? Tune in as I give a history lesson on the crusades and what really drove the Crusaders into battle.